Rouge Ardent
by Oh Prairie Rose
Summary: After living in New York with Tommy for several years, an unfortunate event takes Megan back to Philadelphia where she has to face her demons from the past. You'll be delighted to hear that some demons come in the form of a beautiful blonde boss. Because. Yes. Kegan.
1. I

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Body of Proof_ or any of its characters. This is essentially a _Kegan_ story although there is definitely some _Mommy_ in here as well. I still feel like Megan belongs to Kate, but I think I can grasp why she chose to be with Tommy. This story however, is a take on Megan regretting that decision. I'm not sure about a happy _Kegan_ ending yet but there might be. It will not be a very long story either [since I still have all those other stories to complete #guilty] The story is set seven years after the season III finale, although it will include a great deal of flashbacks. I also killed a character I actually quite like, but I needed a reason for Megan to return to Philadelphia, _so_. Then finally: I usually write from Kate's point of view but this one is an exception.

The title as well as a huge part of the storyline are based upon a beautiful Axelle Red song, called _Rouge Ardent_. _YouTube it._

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**With** her green eyes open wide and her freckled little nose close to the cold glass, Megan Hunt stood in front of the mirror gazing at her reflection. She could not quite put her finger on it, but today there seemed something different about her appearance. Her red lips faintly parted, she let her fingers roam through the wavy strands of red hair. _That was it_. On that chilly September morning in her spacious bedroom, Megan realised the colour of her hair was somehow fading.

"Megs? You ready to go?" Tommy Sullivan was somewhat out of breath after running up the stairs to see what his girlfriend was taking so long. Megan could feel his muscular arms sliding around her tiny frame but even if her eyes were still focused on the reflecting glass, she could barely make out his presence. As for a fleeting second his lips came into contact with her elegant neck, Megan shivered as he softly said: "Honey? The cab's waitin'."

Still lost in thought, Megan turned around in his arms, facing him as she asked: "D'you notice anything different about me?" Tommy pretended to subject her face to a thorough examination before he smiled and simply planted the tiniest of kisses on her nose. Pulling her even closer so that she could see the honesty in his eyes, he stated: "Gorgeous as ever". Megan smiled, but the words did not warm her like they had years prior to this cold day in September.

**It** had been almost seven years since the pair had left Philadelphia, after deciding that in order to give their newfound love a shot, working together was no longer an option. With Lacey getting accepted into a prestigious art school in New York, Megan did not have to think twice about moving there. She told herself that it was the death of Peter that had driven her out of her job as a medical examiner, but deep down she knew perfectly well that there were other demons chasing her far away from the hospital.

At first NYPD had been reluctant to take Tommy on board again, but the truth was that he was a damn fine detective, who was soon to lead his own team. Unlike Tommy and Lacey, Megan struggled with getting used to her new surroundings. After a year of wandering around the house, transforming it into a home for the three of them to live in, Megan had begun to feel restless. No matter how good she had become at making jam from the fresh strawberries their garden provided, she knew she would never make a jubilant housewife and so she applied for a teaching position at the university. Despite her fear that she might need a recommendation letter from her former boss, Megan's name had done the trick for her and she had gotten the job without having to stir up the past.

Sure the seven years spent in New York were happy ones but there was a small part in Megan's heart that ached for a certain satisfaction that neither Tommy nor her job could grant her. Megan knew the feeling all too well: she had grown up on it. The mystery around the suicide of her father had lingered on her every move, just like leaving Philadelphia was doing to her now. There was this sense of unfinished business haunting her and when Tommy had suggested it was due to the loss of her familiar surroundings, Megan gladly blamed it on the city when in reality Philadelphia was merely functioning as a framework for the one thing that caused her all this distress.

**Megan** gracefully positioned herself into the cab that was to take them to the airport. Both Megan and Tommy had taken a week off to travel to Philadelphia to arrange the funeral of Megan's mother, who had passed away quite suddenly. Lacey was already in Philly with her father and his new wife. It had been over a year since Megan last set foot in Philadelphia and needless to say she was not exactly excited about this trip. She felt Tommy squeeze her hand once they were both seated in the back and she instinctively put her head on his broad shoulder. Traffic was playing all sorts of tricks with them, causing the short car ride to the airport to last longer than intended. Tommy smiled when he noticed Megan's breathing become heavier as she drifted off to sleep resting against him. While Tommy considered how well Megan had taken the sudden loss of Joan, Megan let her dreams take her back to her days in Philadelphia. In particular to the weekend right before she bid the city farewell.

Tommy had left Philly a few days earlier to work on his first homicide in the streets of New York, while Megan had stayed behind to take care of the last few arrangements that needed to be made before their relocation. Sensing Megan needed a moment of her own to deal with the new situation, Tommy had let his girlfriend stay a solitary weekend in their apartment. What he did not know was that Megan's definition of 'solitary' varied slightly from his own.

**Her** last Saturday on Pennsylvanian ground had started off with every intention of being spent all by Megan's self, but that all changed when the doorbell rang. Not expecting anyone and dearly wanting to be alone, Megan saw no aim in opening the door but the person on the other side seemed persistent. Grinding her teeth a little, Megan moved towards the door, which upon opening revealed her boss, Dr. Kate Murphy. While the redhead's face mostly read surprise, the blonde's face showed a sense of hurt, agony even. Holding a bottle of wine as her ticket to entering Megan's apartment, Kate slowly walked in without saying a word. "Hi.. Kate.." Megan smirked, lifting her eyebrows in minor puzzlement. Megan was not used to seeing her confident boss this way, causing her to stand uncomfortably in what used to be her own living room, observing Kate who had her eyes focused on the window. It took the blonde a minute to tear her eyes away from whatever she was watching, to turn around and directly address the other woman: "Megan.. There's something I need to tell you.."

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**R&R!**


	2. II

**After** a solid fifty minute drive to the airport, the pair hurried inside towards the security check. Megan still felt a little drowsy from her cat nap so she just followed Tommy, whose strong legs were leading the way. Standing in line for the personal check up, Megan heard a voice shouting: "Who is the owner of the red suitcase?" She could feel Tommy softly pushing her elbow: "That's yours, honey". Squinting her eyes a little, Megan walked over to the security agent. "This suitcase yours, ma'am?" Megan simply nodded. "Permission to open your suitcase, ma'am?"

Megan contemplated denying permission but she was not in the mood for a fuss; she just wanted to get this over with so she could get on the plane, fly to Philadelphia and return to New York as soon as possible. She motioned towards the agent that he could move along, upon which he opened the red suitcase. "Got anything in here you would like to report?" Megan flashed her most polite fake smile, uttering a cold: "No." She may have looked all calm and sophisticated but inside she was burning, wondering why they were treating her like some criminal.

She watched closely how the agent was going through her toiletries and dresses, thinking about how much time she had spent folding her clothes all neatly. The agent took out a small bottle of perfume, eyeing it suspiciously. By then, Megan's Prada clad foot had started tapping impatiently on the floor, causing the agent to look up in annoyance. When his eyes met Megan's frosty glare, he seemed to lose his balance, accidentally dropping the perfume bottle into the suitcase. "Be careful with that, will you?" snapped Megan's voice.

Rapidly deciding the suitcase was cleared, the agent tried to close it up again but the fabric of one of the dresses got in the way. His hands trembling with a sense of nervousness that was undoubtedly caused by the redhead's eyes burning through him, he pulled out the stubborn dress. Seeing the blue dress, Megan's entire demeanour changed; she looked smaller all of a sudden - vulnerable even. Her eyes however kept their scorching focus on the agent, as she hissed to him: "Don't you dare touch that!"

**The** soft fabric of Kate's dress that was softly pressed against her sent goose bumps all over Megan's wavering body. Through the large windows of the almost empty apartment, the city lights shone bright upon the pair dancing to the sound of an old record that could very well have been Otis Redding. Her left arm wrapped around Kate's neck, Megan let her right hand trace the outline of the blonde's collarbone. "So beautiful", she murmured before letting her lips gently come into contact with the prominent bone. Megan smiled merrily against the warmth of Kate's skin when she felt the blonde nuzzling the top of her red manes in return.

"I could dance like this forever", Kate whispered as she tenderly stroke the small of Megan's back. Megan closed her eyes to block out the vision of both Tommy and New York, holding on to the other woman a little tighter. She looked up to lock eyes with Kate, who sent her such a loving glare, it made Megan's heart cringe. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" She could feel Kate's heart starting to pound a beat faster, before the blonde answered: "I guess I was.. scared."

Still moving to a slow rhythm, Megan caressed Kate's jaw line as she leaned in even closer. "There was no need," she softly stated before letting her wine stained lips lock with the blonde's plump pout. Megan let out a small gasp when she felt Kate's nails dig into her back upon responding to the kiss. She decided there and then that her tongue ought to have a love affair with Kate's lower lip, which Megan continued to lick und nibble until the blonde turned the tables and tenderly bit down on Megan's lip.

Feeling audacious all of a sudden, Megan reached for the zipper of the dress, pulling it down until Kate stood in a puddle of blue velvet, making it impossible for the blonde to continue dancing. Holding on to Megan to steady herself, Kate narrowed her eyes a little and with a smile that was full of mischief, she hooked one finger inside Megan's cardigan until all the buttons came flying off. Mesmerized still by Kate's gorgeous breasts bulking over her blue lace bra, Megan let the blonde unzip her trousers, kicking off her shoes in the process. Standing barefoot in front of Kate - who was still wearing her high heels – Megan suddenly came to eyelevel with the swell of the blonde's breasts. The redhead could not resist the urge to dive in, scattering the lightest of kisses all over Kate's chest, causing the other woman to pleasantly groan in pure bliss.

**Having** been held up by the security check, Megan needed to run to board the plane in time. Tommy was waiting for her right outside the final gate, a questioning look lingering in his eyes; he could tell that Megan was upset but once again he blamed it on all the wrong reasons. "Next time they try to pull a stunt like that, I'll just flash'm my badge," he said with a chuckle. When that did not seem to brighten his girlfriend up, he reached for her hand, holding it until they had to step into the plane. He stole a quick kiss that was to tell Megan everything was going to be alright.

The second Megan felt the soft leather of the airplane chair underneath her, she reached for the headphones to isolate herself from her surroundings. Tommy knew better than to push her in times like this, so he just sat down next to her with a magazine he had purchased for the occasion. Every now and then he would look to the side, to check on Megan, who seemed more lost in thought than she had that morning in their bedroom. Figuring she must be missing Joan, Tommy felt fatigue taking hold of him as he drifted off. Minutes later, Megan was watching a mindless action movie, her hands clasping around a whiskey on the rocks.

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**R&R!**


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